As expected, retired General Otto Perez Molina of the conservative Partido Patriotico won the run-off election in Guatemala. With 98% of the votes counted, Perez Molina finished with 54% of the vote to Manuel Baldizon’s 46%. Perez Molina is the first military officer to serve as president of Guatemala in 25 years; however, unlike his predecessors who took power in a coup, Perez Molina won through open democratic practices.

It will be worth watching both countries going forward to see how a democratically-elected general leads a country with a devastating history of military violence against civilians in the case of Guatemala, and to see what the outcome of the election investigations and a second consecutive Ortega term looks like in the case of Nicaragua.

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About Colin M. Snider

I have a Ph.D. in history, specializing in Latin American History and Comparative Indigenous History. My dissertation focused on Brazil. Beyond Latin America generally, I'm particularly interested in class identities, military politics, human rights, labor, education, music, and nation. I can be found on Twitter at @ColinMSnider.